Diddy and his lawyers are going after federal agents for allegedly misleading the court when obtaining search warrants for his residences, last year. His legal team says the applications to do so painted a "grossly distorted picture" of the situation at the time. In turn, Diddy wants a Franks hearing, which would allow him the opportunity to present evidence to challenge the search warrant affidavit.
“The warrant applications presented a grossly distorted picture of reality,” his lawyer, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, explained in a new motion caught by AllHipHop. “The government had in its possession, for example, a variety of evidence…suggesting Victim-1’s participation in the alleged ‘freak-offs’ (FOs) was voluntary and consensual, not coerced as the government suggested in its applications.” She added: “The government hid evidence undermining these witnesses’ credibility and presented misleading and selective accounts. We are not dealing here with omission of a few ancillary facts. This is a case of systematic deception. The warrant applications were ‘calculated to mislead,’ omitting ‘clearly critical’ evidence.”
When Is Diddy's Trial?
Diddy will be going on trial on May 5th as he faces charges of alleged sex trafficking and racketeering. He's repeatedly denied all of the allegations he's faced. On top of the prior complaints in the aforementioned motion, Diddy's lawyers claim the state had possession of the alleged “freak-off” tapes prior to the raids and that should've been disclosed. “The government’s obstruction allegations were based largely on texts and statements taken out of context,” Shapiro added.
The latest update comes after one of Diddy's attorneys, Anthony Ricco, requested to withdraw from the case, last Thursday. “Under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs,” he wrote in his affidavit. “It is respectfully but regrettably requested that the court grant the relief requested.” He suggested that providing more reasoning for the decision would violate attorney-client privilege.
[Via]
